Prescription errors can take a number of forms. If a doctor gives the patient the wrong drug to take it is considered a prescription error. If the doctor gives the wrong dosage of a drug to take then it could also be considered prescription error.

Other types of prescription errors include:

Medications improperly prescribed so that they react negatively toward one another

The errors can be catagorised into four types of error, which are described as:

type A (potentially serious to patient);

type B (major nuisance - pharmacist/doctor contact required);

type C (minor nuisance - pharmacist must use professional judgement);

type D (trivial).

The problem is, there are dozens of similarly named drugs which if mixed up can cause patients to become sicker or to die because they are not the correct drug for the patient.

Other types of medication errors include:

Mistakes may stem from incorrect dosage, meaning too much or too little of the drug is provided

Bad interactions; when a patient already takes a drug that conflicts with a newly prescribed drug

Patients being given a drug they are allergic to, whether or not the doctor knows about the allergy

Most mistakes boil down to human error. Doctors, notorious for bad handwriting, may choose the right drug, but the pharmacist may read it incorrectly.

If you think you have been the victim of medical error and pharmaceutical error then you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. For help with your prescription error claim, contact a specialist medical negligence solicitor to discuss your claim.